Summer Down Under (4 page)

“I came looking for you,” he said, raising
his eyes to meet Sam’s incredulous expression. “I stopped by your
hotel, and a couple of people in the restaurant knew you and told
me where you were headed.”

She goggled at him. Did she just hear him
correctly? He came looking for her? But he was gorgeous, why would
he want anything to do with her?

“Why would you come looking for me?”

His cheeks flushed again, but he held his
gaze steady.

“Okay. I admit it,” he said, hands raised. “I
can’t get you out of my head. I wanted to find you because I would
kick myself if I didn’t give you my phone number.” He looked down
at the ground again and toed a pebble. “Just in case there was the
smallest chance you may want to call me when you’re in
Australia.”

“Oh.” Words failed her at that point and she
just stared at him.

“Um, would you like to go for a walk along
the beach?” he asked after another moment had passed and she still
hadn’t said anything more.

Sam hesitated for a moment and cast a glance
up and down the beach. It was still deserted. She hardly knew this
man, even if he did just rescue her from a rowdy mob of vendors.
Sam looked into his eyes and decided to listen to her instincts.
They told her he wouldn’t try to hurt her, so she took a deep
breath, trusted them, and agreed.

“Okay, why not?”

Daniel’s smile lit up his face. His hand
started to move towards hers and she quickly crossed her arms over
her chest. She was definitely not ready for something as intimate
as hand holding. Not yet, maybe never.

She noticed a flicker of disappointment in
Daniel’s eyes but it was gone almost instantly, he replaced it with
a smile and fell into place beside her. When they got to the sand,
Sam kicked off her sandals and scooped them up, holding them in the
hand that was closest to Daniel. That way she had an excuse not to
hold his hand, should he try again.

The sand was warm and soft under her feet as
they wandered down the beach to the edge of the shore. Another
beautiful island rose out of the ocean in front of them. Sam took a
moment to soak in the beauty of her surroundings before turning her
attention to the man beside her.

“So,” she said. “Tell me what it is that you
do on a sheep station?”

“Well, there is a lot of riding about on
motorbikes,” he started to explain. “We have to muster the sheep
into holding pens for a variety of different reasons.”

“Muster?” Sam interrupted.

“It means herding or gathering. We muster the
sheep into pens and do whatever we need to, depending on the time
of the year.”

He could see the look of confusion on her
face and continued with his explanation.

“You see, there is lamb marking after the
lambs are born. We won’t get into that, though, it’s not the most
pleasant job on the station. Then there is jetting just before the
fly season. Basically, we spray the sheep with a pesticide that
kills the blowflies. Nasty buggars they are. Then lots of
maintenance, mending fences, etcetera, and the finale of the year
for any sheep station...shearing.” He finished his explanation with
a “Phew”

“So, you’re basically a cowboy who works with
sheep?”

“You could say that. Actually, blokes are
called Jackeroos, and Sheilas, meaning the girls, are called
Jillaroos.”

His description of work on his parent’s sheep
station fascinated her once more. He talked about it on the plane,
but now he was going into more detail. Daniel kept her captivated
with many interesting tales of things that happened to him in the
outback, and before she knew it, they had arrived close to the
entrance of the beach where they had left his bike.

They walked and talked for what seemed like
hours. Sam began to realize that talking to Daniel felt as natural
as breathing. He made her feel at ease, and that was something she
had never experienced around a man; she had certainly never
experienced the sensations welling deep within her at his close
proximity.

They stopped and he turned to face her, his
eyes burning with what she could only assume was passion. She’d
never actually seen a look like it before; she had only one other
experience to draw from and certainly couldn’t gain any clarity
from that.

Walking side by side with him, it had been
easy and natural to avert her gaze from his. She had been
constantly looking all around and taking in the stunning beauty of
the area.

Sam diverted her gaze again, “It’s a pretty
beach.”

“It is. I come here whenever I’m in Bali.
It’s impossible not to relax with surroundings like these.”

Sam had felt his eyes burning into her for most of
their walk, but hadn’t wanted to acknowledge it before this
moment.

“Sam?”

Reluctantly Sam turned, feeling she had no choice but
to look at him now or appear just plain rude. Her stomach knotted
up into a ball when her eyes met his intense gaze. She dropped her
head to look at her toes that were now unconsciously digging into
the warm sand. Anything remotely resembling intimacy made her feel
like a cornered animal.

Fingers caressed her chin, easing her head up
gently until she had no choice than to meet his sensual gaze. She
swallowed hard, but couldn’t move. Frozen to the spot, her legs
were refusing to take her anywhere. Fat lot of good she’d be in a
fight, she told herself ruefully. Although, this was hardly a
fight. Maybe an internal one between her brain and her heart.

Daniel lowered his head. His lips brushed
against hers, tender and full of compassion. The softness and
warmth of his lips took her by surprise, so much so that she let
them linger there for just a second until panic took hold and she
jerked her head away. The fear that filled her took over. She
couldn’t allow herself to get close to another man, wouldn’t allow
anyone to have that kind of control over her again.

Daniel’s expression turned to one of concern
at the sudden extrication of her lips. His expression registered
the fear filling her beautiful eyes, again he softly took hold of
her chin.

“P-please, don’t,” Sam stuttered, choking
back tears that were threatening to spill over.

“I won’t,” Daniel whispered, searching her
panic stricken eyes. “Someone really hurt you, didn’t they?” His
soft voice echoed in her mind.

Was she that easy to read? She was losing the
battle with her tears and could feel her eyes glisten, but could
not pull her focus away from the warmth that exuded from his gaze
as he looked down at her. A tear escaped and trickled down her
cheek. Daniel brushed it away with his thumb. She didn’t need to
answer him, it was a rhetorical question. Although, the answer was
screaming at him through her eyes.

They stood for a moment in silence, neither
one knowing what to say next.

“Would you like to sit here with me and watch
the sun set?” he asked after a moment of silence. “It’s beautiful
from this beach.”

Sam hesitated.

Sensing her anxiety, Daniel added, “You have
my promise, Sam. I’m not going to try anything. Not all men are
pigs; some of us can be quite charming, if given the chance.”

She pondered his statement. She’d love to
believe him, but that kind of trust had been ripped away from her,
and she wasn’t sure she would ever get it back.

Daniel sat down and offered Sam his hand. She
cautiously accepted it and lowered herself to sit on the sand
beside him. They sat in silence for a while, not an awkward silence
this time, more a silence of mutual understanding. The only noise
was coming from the sound of the waves lapping against the shore
and the crickets singing in the vegetation behind them.

A soft balmy breeze caressed Sam’s face like a sheer
silk scarf, and it felt wonderful. He was right, the sunset was
stunning. Just like everything else this island had shown her, it
didn’t disappoint. Daniel slowly, cautiously, wrapped a protective
arm around Sam’s shoulders. The gesture sent a little shiver down
her spine.

She was longing to let go and snuggle into
the body that was inviting her so openly to enjoy his attention,
but self-preservation was keeping her mind in check. She didn’t
accept his gesture, but didn’t pull away this time, either.

Sam enjoyed his warmth, but tomorrow he was
flying home and she doubted if they would ever see each other
again. It was for the best, she thought, as the sun dipped into the
ocean in front of them.

Sam woke up with a start to an urgent knocking on her
bungalow door. Groaning, she looked over at her travel clock to see
what the time was and wondered who would have the audacity to be
waking her up at 5 a.m.

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, threw her
robe over her shoulders, and walked to the door tying it as she
did, all the while muttering something that was best not repeated
in polite society. “The building better be on fire,” she grouched
as she approached the door, then called, “Who is it?”

“It’s me,” the voice on the other side
replied.

Her eyes widened and she looked down at
herself. Her robe was paper thin and she had nothing on underneath.
It certainly wouldn’t leave a lot to the imagination. There was no
way she could let him see her like that.

Having to find things that would not take up
much space in her backpack, she had chosen a thin cotton robe,
intending to wear it over her pajamas in the hostels, but didn’t
need to sleep in anything in her hotel room; she was completely
alone, until now.

“Just a minute,” she croaked.

Sam scurried around until she found some
clothes and threw them on. Then she ran to the bathroom, quickly
smoothed down her hair, squeezed a dollop of toothpaste on her
finger and rubbed it over her teeth. She collected her composure
and headed towards the door again.

Taking hold of the door handle, she took a
deep breath and opened it. A beaming smile greeted her from the
other side.

“Do you make it a habit of turning up out of
the blue at five o’clock in the morning?” she asked, voice tinged
with irritability.

“Only for someone special,” Daniel replied,
grinning at her with that beautiful smile, completely nonplussed by
her rather snotty welcome.

Part of her melted; it was an affect he had
on her that was completely beyond her control and it alarmed her at
the ease with which she now just accepted this fact.

“So, would you care to tell me what you are
doing here?” The irritable tone still audible in her voice. “I
thought you were going home today.”

“I put it off for a day. There is something I
have to show you and we don’t have much time.”

He grabbed her hand and all but yanked her
out of the room. Sam squealed and just managed to grab her bag
before the door closed behind her.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked when
they were standing next to the motorbike he had rescued her on the
previous day. He got on, started it up and flipped up the
kickstand, completely ignoring the question.

“Well, don’t just stand there. Get on,” he
said. “You’ll see when we get there.”

Much to Sam’s surprise, she did as he asked
without hesitation, resuming the familiar position with her arms
holding tightly around the handsome Aussie’s waist. He pulled back
on the throttle and they sped off into the cool morning air.

The streets were empty. No one was around at
that time in the morning, and a stillness hung in the air. It was
lovely and cool, a prelude for the muggy heat that would envelop
the island by midday.

“You are going to love this,” she heard him
shout over his shoulder. “I promise you will never forget this
morning.”

Well, that was for certain, Sam thought as
they went zooming down the road with her arms wrapped around his
waist. Breathing in his spicy scent at five in the morning was not
something she was likely to forget in a hurry. She was still trying
to get over the previous day.

They rode for about half an hour before
pulling up in front of another beach. Although it was dark, Sam
could tell they were at the beach because she could hear the soft
lapping of the waves against the shore and smell the salty tang of
sea air, a smell she now loved.

They stepped off the bike and, no sooner had
her feet touched the ground, her hand was scooped up again and
Daniel began dragging her down a narrow pathway. It was lined by
shadowy palm trees that loomed up on either side and crickets were
still singing their frenzied aria.

“Hold on,” she complained. “I’m going to
trip, I can’t see anything.”

“You’ll be fine, I know where I’m going.”

“Well, I’m glad you do,” Sam snapped
impatiently, nearly falling over her own feet, something she
accomplished with relative ease on frequent occasions.

They eventually came to an opening in the
palms and were now standing on the edge of a beach.

“Now, just wait. It will only be a few more
minutes.”

“What will be only a few more minutes?” she
asked, trying to hold back an irritable retort, not yet being fully
awake and not her best at that ungodly hour. She fleetingly
wondered if Daniel could tell she wasn’t a morning person, and then
dismissed the notion. Why should she care if he cared that she
wasn’t a morning person? He was nothing to her. Yeah, she could try
and keep convincing herself of that fact, but deep down even she
didn’t believe it.

“You’ll see.”

They stood for what seemed like ten minutes,
then something started to appear before them. The sun was rising,
and with it a silhouette rose out of the ocean in front of
them.

“Wow, it’s beautiful.” Sam gasped. “What is
it?”

“
It’s
called Tanah Lot. It’s an
ancient temple built in the sixteenth century. It was built to be
surrounded by the ocean at certain times of the day and pays homage
to the spirits of the sea.” Daniel explained.